Mossberg Reviews the Surface Windows 8 Pro

2/5/2013 9:00PM

Unlike the original Microsoft Surface, the new Surface Pro allows you to run the Windows 8 desktop and pro apps. But, as Walt Mossberg tells us, one should consider its downsides before trying it as a replacement for a laptop. (Photo: Microsoft)

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... I ... it's ... if you're tired of carrying ... all tablet in the laptop and wish you had one ... device that could ... cause circle purposes ... Micra soft may have the computer for you ... this is what must Merkel Wall Street Journal and this week I tested that computer ... it's called the Surface Windows eight Pro ... and it's the big brother to the original ... surface that Micra soft tried out in October which was ... its very first ever computer ... the Pro is ... significantly different ... than the original surface ... well cause ... it runs a full version of Windows eight ... Windows eight Pro actually ... and ... that gives it ... a lot of additional capabilities ... that the regional surfaced and have ... salamis talk about a few of the pros and cons ... on the pro side first of all ... because it runs ... Windows eight Pro you can install on the desktop portion of the user interface ... aam ... lawyer familiar Windows seven programs I installed a four five ... every one of them ran up ... speedily and well ... and so like a laptop but um like something like a night and ... you can run full blown up Windows programs or PC programs ... secondly it comes with ... a stylus and ... is very helpful in navigating and taking notes in the desktop part of the surface ... of the original surfers ... it was a touch screen computer ... to improve but ... the ... main touch interface called the Start screen ... is separate from the desktop on all these machines of all Windows eight machines ... on the desktop using your finger for touch is difficult ... so the stylus for an ... it is helpful ... but there are a number of ... downsides to the Surface Pro ... and I'll just take some of them off quickly ... first of all ... it's expensive ... starts at eight hundred and ninety nine dollars from sixty four gigabyte model ... which is ... almost as much as you'd pay ... a regular laptop and ... four hundred dollars more the paper the base model on I pad where the base model of the original surface ... and um even more expensive than ... and I pad with the same amount of memory ... a model with twice the memory goes up to nine ninety nine ... and neither of those prices includes ... the ... snap on ... keyboards that Micra soft ... it came out with ... on the regional surface ... which ... really ... are what make it operate a ... like a laptop when you want to ... this keyboard with movable keys which I recommend ... of the two of course another extra hundred and thirty dollars ... another downside ... of every life ... in my ... very tough tablet battery test ... um ... the Surface Pro ... turned in a pathetic ... performance ... it ... got just under four hours ... means that in normal use you might be able to stretch to five hours ... but ... the I pad gets ten hours in even the original surface get seven hours ... in the same test ... so battery life is quite weak ... it's also heavy for tablet Waste ... Downs ... now that's ... pretty light for a laptop for tablets ... it's ... handy to have reacting to use ... up for the same long periods ... and as you would with ... any of the large Android or Apple tablets that are much ... later ... um ... it also I thought was difficult to use in your lap ... um ... and ... it has a kickstand ... in the back which is kind of cool that holds the screen of St if you're ... using the keyboard cover ... and the kickstand it doesn't work so well on your lap with the kickstand under knees ... were spying on a desk or tap on a table ... maybe a ... C Tran an airplane ... but to um ... it's not great for use in your lap or as a regular laptop which is out ... of a more rigid Hindu screen ... works fine ... in your lap ... these are some of the downsides that I think ... make the Surface Pro ... it really Khona between or it's ... not ... as life or is ... going on battery lifers inexpensive ... as competing tablets ... and as a laptop well it does work fine again on a desk ... I think it is as versatile ... as a regular Windows eight touch screen laptop would be ... so I'm less enamored of the ... Surface Pro that I was of the Surface RT ... which I saw as basically a tablet ... focused around the new tablet interface in the Start screen ... with the addition of ... some parts of Micra soft office is kind of a bonus ... does Wal-Mart spurred ... LLC in a couple weeks ...